When weather makes a turn for the worst, it is critical for individuals to feel that they can be safe in a volatile situation. The most inherent danger to people and property during tornadoes and hurricanes is the flying debris carried in the high winds. Traveling at such intense velocity, any item turns into a missile that can cut right through a building wall and endanger the people inside.

Concrete safe rooms are a proven way to keep people safe during a tornado or hurricane. Typically created as a small, windowless room, safe rooms are completely encapsulated in concrete. The room would be located in a central area of the home for additional protection as well as accessibility, but can be placed on the outside wall of the home or in a garage.

A safe room can be incorporated into the construction of a new home, or can be retrofitted into an existing home. The advantage of a safe room over a storm cellar is that the safe room can function year-round as a usable area, such as a bathroom, closet or utility room.

Resources for Building Safe Rooms

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helps home or small business owners assess their risk and determine the best type of safe room for their needs. FEMA's publication, Taking Shelter from the Storm, Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business, includes safe room designs and shows owners, builders, contractors, and design professionals how to construct a safe room in either a home or small business. FEMA addresses the square footage requirements for a safe room for residents, taking into account whether or not they are bedridden or wheelchair bound as well as the best location in your building for the safe room.

Federal Alliance for the Safety of Homes (FLASH) agrees that properly designed and constructed, tornado safe rooms can provide the ultimate life safety refuge when severe winds from thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes strike. To assist homeowners, builders, first responders and employers with incorporating safe rooms into new build or remodeling plans, FLASH has partnered with the National Storm Shelter Association and gathered an array of information at www.HighWindSafeRooms.org. It provides builders with resources to promote safe rooms as a value-added addition to construction plans, including a cost calculator to guide clients through the process.

Tornado Safe Room Showcase

PCA teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) to present a Tornado Safe Room Showcase at both the International Builders Show, January 20-22, 2016, and World of Concrete, February 3-6, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Safe rooms produced with precast, masonry, cast-in-place, and insulating concrete form construction and adhering to the most current FEMA guidelines for building safe rooms were on display. Homebuilders and concrete contractors viewed up close the inherent resilience of concrete systems.